COVID-19 Clinical Trials and Expanded Access

Hospital staff and emergency personnel are expected to suffer impaired psychological outcomes during a pandemic in terms of Quality of Life, anxiety, depression or other outcomes. The Covid-19 pandemic is a threat for both somatic and psychological health, therefore the impact of the impairment of this event on psychological parameters has to be assessed.

The current COVID-19 pandemic, this is especially since the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 is thought to occur mainly through respiratory droplets generated by coughing and sneezing, by direct contact with contaminated surfaces and because in a large number of patients COVID-19 disease may be asymptomatic. As recommended by the CDC medical personnel should be equipped with full personal protective equipment (PPE) for AGP in contact with suspected/confirmed COVID-19 patient. Therefore, it is reasonable to search for the most effective methods of intravascular access in those conditions.

Attention control for external information and cognitive control for internal information play a causal role in emotion regulation according to different theories and empirical research. Former research in the lab of the investigators has shown positive effects of an interactive attention control/interpretation training, in which participants learned to unscramble scrambled sentences ("life is my a party mess") in a positive way ("my life is a party") by getting eye-tracking feedback about attention for positive ("party") vs. negative information ("mess"). After the training, participants could better reinterpret negative photos in a positive way. Attention- and cognitive control mechanisms prior to negative stressors (proactive control) and after negative stressors (reactive control) seem to play a role in this. Moreover, research has shown that low perceived control and negative expectations about future emotion regulation skills results in lower proactive control and a higher need of reactive control. Based on this, the assumption can be made that the effects of attention control training - targeting reactive control - could benefit from adding techniques that affect proactive control (e.g. psycho-education). In the present study this is investigated by testing a new two weeks attention control training to see if this has a positive effect on stress related complaints, depressive symptoms and emotion regulation. Given that the current COVID-19 pandemic is perceived as very stressful by a lot of people, the training could help here. Participants between 18 to 65 years of age are recruited during this corona crisis. The attention control training is a new smartphone based application. Participants have to unscramble scrambled sentences into grammatically correct sentences. In the training condition, participants are asked to unscramble the scrambled sentences in a positive way. By swiping, participants can see part of the sentences. This gives the investigators an image about the processing of the sentences. This procedure allows to measure how long participants attend to positive and negative words. In the training condition participants get feedback about the duration they process positive and negative words. In the control group participants unscramble the sentences as fast as possible without feedback on emotional attention. Participants only get feedback about the speed at which sentences are unscrambled. Before and after the 10 training sessions, attention of the participants is measured to see the effects of the training. Questionnaires on depressive and anxiety complaints, emotion regulation strategies, well-being and stress are administered before and after the training. There is also a follow-up measure 2 months after the training. Both groups (training and control) watch a psycho-education video before the start of the training.

Background Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) might be more susceptible to Covid-19 due to the underlying disease, co-morbidities and the use of immunosuppressive drugs. The investigators hypothesize that telemedicine (TM) can be an effective mode of health-care delivery minimizing the risk of SARS-CoV-2 exposure, while maintaining disease control in these patients. Objectives The primary aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness to achieve remission or lupus low disease activity state (LLDAS) using TM delivered care compared to conventional in-person outpatient follow-up in SLE. The secondary objectives are to compare the patient reported outcomes and cost between the two modes of health care delivery. Study design This is a 12-months single centered pragmatic randomized controlled study. A total of 150 enrolled patients with SLE being followed at the Prince of Wales Hospital rheumatology clinics will be randomized to either TM (TM group) or standard care (SC group) in a 1:1 ratio. Patients in the TM group will receive scheduled follow-ups via videoconferencing using a custom-made mobile app. SC group patients will continue conventional standard in-person outpatient care. The disease and patient reported outcomes as well as the health care related costs will be compared. Expected outcomes Data from this study will support the notion that TM based care is as effective as conventional in-person care in achieving disease remission or LLDAS, as well as addressing psychosocial implications to ensure the best possible care for our patients in a cost-effective manner during this pandemic.

Suspension of Angiotensin Receptor Blockers and Angiotensin-converting Enzyme Inhibitors and Adverse Outcomes in Hospitalized Patients With Coronavirus Infection.

This is a randomized, blinded phase 2 trial that will assess the efficacy and safety of anti-SARS-CoV-2 convalescent plasma in hospitalized patients with acute respiratory symptoms requiring oxygen supplementation.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the cause of the current pandemic of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) that can lead to respiratory failure requiring oxygen therapy. Some patients develop acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and may die despite intensive care therapy. Currently it is unknown a) how fast patients recover after being discharged from hospital and b) what underlying predictors may influence recovery.

SARS-CoV-2, has caused an international outbreak of respiratory illness termed Covid-19. The investigators used peptides derived from SARS-CoV-2 virus, to study viral-specific immune responses. COV-CREM is a French prospective monocentric study that will evaluate viral-specific cell responses in positive patients for SARS-CoV-2 on the basis of (RT-PCR) assay performed in respiratory tract sample tested by our local Center for Disease Control.

Healthcare centers treated several hundreds of patients with Covid-19 and prospectively gathered information in electronic format between March, 2020 to April, 2020. In the course of Covid-19 treatment, physicians employed several drugs, including hydroxychloroquine, azithromycin, lopinavir/ritonavir, tocilizumab, baricitinib, sarilumab, corticosteroids and systematic antibiotics (list is not exhaustive). This cohort study aims to assess factors associated with clinical outcomes in patients hospitalized for Covid-19, by analyzing associations between treatments and outcomes. All data are collected in electronical records during routine practice.

Povidone-iodine (PVP-I) is a broad-spectrum antiseptic with activity against bacteria, fungi, and viruses. It has been previously used in both intranasal preparations against Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) as well as oral preparations in in-vitro studies of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (SARS-CoV), Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV), influenza H1N1, and rotavirus with good efficacy. This study will evaluate the efficacy of PVP-I as prophylaxis in Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID19)-negative front-line health care workers, hospital patients, and community members.